A quest for sleep and redemption: Akash Mishra looks to shine in India vs Uruguay

“Uruguay is as good as the other teams, so we have to keep our focus for the 90 minutes and any extra (stoppage) time that follows,” said Indian full-back Akash Mishra (left) during a press conference in Kolkata on Monday. | Photo Credit: K.R. DEEPAK

At full-time in India vs Brazil, Akash Mishra looked completely devastated – sunken shoulders, head down, and he often shook his head in disappointment.

Eight days ago, he was a hero: he assisted Ryan Williams as India scored against Panama — a gorgeous long ball from the left flank that perfectly landed for Williams to latch on and shoot.

For 68 minutes, he was one of the reasons India dared to believe it could beat a team ranked 94 places above it. Against Brazil, he did not get that much time – 45 minutes, two goals conceded and subsequently replaced by Jay Gupta.

India lost that match 0-4, and unlike most national team players, he did not post anything on Instagram, posing with Brazilian stars like Vinicius Junior and Bruno Guimaraes.

“I’m a sore loser. After the loss, as a player, we never feel good,” Akash told reporters. “I didn’t sleep. I was watching the game all night. I slept in the morning, and then, I had to wake up early and do my recovery.”

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Akash may have replayed his mistakes again and again in his head, but he knows he can’t dwell on it for too long. Uruguay, another former world champion, awaits.

“As a team, or as football players, we don’t have to sit down with the results. We have a very good upcoming game, so we have to prepare for that and do our best. This is what the game demands. We have to play with whatever rest we get. As a player, I’ll always be prepared to perform well,” he said.

India plays Uruguay in its third and final match in this international window on Tuesday, at the Salt Lake Stadium, at the same venue where Akash had to endure a difficult night three days ago.

The full-back will now have a shot at redemption, and one to get his sleep back.

“Uruguay is as good as the other teams, so we have to keep our focus for the 90 minutes and any extra (stoppage) time that follows,” Akash said.

“When we came to this camp, we got to know that we were playing Panama, Brazil, and Uruguay. We knew the calibre of those teams, and we have been prepared for them. It was never as if we were only prepared for Brazil. Two are done, one more to go, and we have to finish on a very good note.”